The Lost and the Lonely
by Shnuffles
Summary: A tall man in a shabby cloak and a worn hat stood closest to the marble headstone. He made no sound but his shoulders shook as he sobbed. He was the last Marauder and he had never felt more alone.
1. November 2, 1981

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter series.**

November 2, 1981 was a day that brought many families out of their homes and to a small cemetery beside a tiny church in Godric's Hollow. The witches and wizards who had come to mourn Lily and James Potter wore thick cloaks to guard against the cold November evening.

A tall man in a shabby cloak and a worn hat stood closest to the marble headstone. He made no sound but his shoulders shook as he sobbed. He was the last Marauder and he had never felt more alone. Several steps behind him was a family of eight, all with shockingly red hair. The father stared blankly at the grave, his eyes wet and his mouth set in a firm line. He had one arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders and she clutched his hand as if it were a lifeline. In her other arm she held her youngest son. The rest of the children were also boys and they ranged in age from the eldest who was almost eleven to the twins who were three and a half.

Beside them stood a family of three. The father was a friendly looking man with a round stomach, brown hair, and brown eyes. His wife was a beautiful woman with sharp features and high cheekbones. Between them stood an eight year old girl with black hair. She pulled on her father's hand to bring him down to her level. "What is it, Dora?" her father asked in a hushed whisper.

The girl motioned to the man standing alone in front of the grave. "Daddy, isn't that Remus? Why is he all alone?" Her father looked down and sighed.

He put a hand on her hair and said in the same whisper, "Yes, my dear. That's Remus." As her father straightened back up she looked at him waiting for more information. However, her father said no more.

The girl looked back at the lonely Marauder and slipped her hand out of her father's grasp. She walked slowly up to the man and, without hesitation, slipped her small hand into his. He stiffened at the touch and looked down. He stared in wonder at the child. She tugged at his hand and the man crouched so that his face was at the same height as hers. She pulled a small handkerchief from a pocket in her cloak and, as her mother always did for her, gently began to wipe away his tears.

Remus Lupin let out a choked sob and the little girl held out her arms to him. He pulled her into his arms and she let him cry on her shoulder. She patted him lightly on the back and stood with him throughout the service.

When the funeral ended she took the man by the hand and led him back to where her parents were standing. Remus stiffened when they reached Ted and Andromeda Tonks. He was bombarded with memories of sitting at their dining room table, laughing with James and Peter and Sirius. Sirius would often pay his aunt and uncle a visit and the Marauders were always welcome at the Tonks' house. A knot formed in his throat as he thought of Sirius, the man he had once called friend and the reason he was the last Marauder.

Andromeda saw the anger and sadness in his eyes. She reached toward him but he turned away. They watched as he disappeared into the night, his collar turned up against the wind. Nymphadora looked up at her mother and saw fresh tears collecting in her eyes. Her questions would have to wait.

Arthur Weasley had seen Remus disappear around the corner. With his wife and children following close behind him he made his way over to the Tonks. "What was that about?" he asked in a low voice. Ted shook his head gently and glanced down at the children.

Arthur nodded and motioned for Ted to follow him. The men walked towards a small patch of trees at the edge of the cemetery. "Arthur, it was Sirius. Sirius betrayed them."

**Author's Note: So this is a rewrite of an old Fanfiction that I took down. I like it a lot better now, hopefully you will too! :) Please let me know what you thought of the chapter. Special thanks to Stanzaic! You guys should check out her stories.**


	2. Robes and Redheads

**Disclaimer: I still do not own any part of the Harry Potter series. **

It was a beautiful summer day. The sky was a brilliant blue and the only clouds that could be seen were light and wispy. Andromeda Tonks tapped the brick barrier with her wand and turned around to face her family. She sighed as she realized that her husband and daughter were no longer following her. "Not again," she groaned. She tapped the barrier again and as it closed behind her she walked back into the Leaky Cauldron. As she had expected Ted was engaged in an animated conversation with Tom, the barman. Nymphadora was sitting on a booth beside him sipping at a butterbeer with a huge grin on her face.

As Andromeda drew closer she heard her husband reply excitedly, "Yes yes! That's exactly what I said. Then he gave me this look and said 'You're telling me that Muggles….'" He trailed off as he caught sight of his wife. Nymphadora gulped and hopped off of her barstool.

"Mum, thank goodness you're here. I tried to tell him we didn't have time to stop but he insisted. You know how Dad is. He just has to…"

"Thank you very much Dora." Her father interrupted as he stood up and put his arm around his wife. "I'm sorry 'Dromeda." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Her glare softened a bit and she shook her head.

"Come on you two," Andromeda said. Ted glared at his daughter as he followed his wife. In return Nymphadora flashed him a winning smile.

Andromeda once again tapped the bricks and the barrier once again opened. Nymphadora Tonks gazed around the alley in excitement. She never tired of the vast assortment of witches and wizards Diagon Alley always provided. Her mother grabbed her hand and whispered in her ear. "Did you have to go with pink, Nymphadora? Wouldn't a nice brown or perhaps blonde have been just as nice?"

Nymphadora ran a hand through her bubblegum pink hair and rolled her eyes at her mother. "Boring, Mum."

Ted laughed. "You can't win the hair battle. Just be thankful that she's not tie-dye anymore."

"Yes, well, that one was your fault. Why on Earth did you tell her about those muggle hippies?"

"Sorry about that one, 'Dromeda." He grinned sheepishly. Andromeda chuckled and smiled at her husband.

"Come on," she said as she pointed to Madame Malkin's shop. "Let's get your robes first." She grabbed her daughter by the hand and pulled her into the shop. A bell tinkled softly as they entered and a mob of redheads turned to face the newcomers.

Madame Malkin popped up from behind the crowd. "I'll be with you in a moment, dears." She turned her attention back to the boy standing on the small platform. She waved her wand and her sewing instruments sprang to life and began hemming the oversized robe that was draped over the boy. "Now you stand very still until the hemming is done." She turned back to the Tonks family. "I expect you're looking for Hogwarts robes. Go ahead and hop up here, dear." She motioned to a second platform. "I'll pop to the back and..." She was interrupted by a shriek from the boy.

Madame Malkin sighed and turned back to him. "That's why you stand still!" To the Tonks family she added, "I'll be right back with some robes."

The boy's older brother was laughing hysterically. "Charlie, you scream like a girl!" Charlie's face was almost as red as his hair.

He glared at his brother. "Shut up, Bill. I do not!"

Nymphadora joined in the laughter. She turned to Charlie and said, "You really do scream like a girl. It was only a needle." Charlie blushed even more.

"Nymphadora!" her mother exclaimed. She glared at her daughter. Andromeda turned to the boy's mother and said, "I'm sorry, Molly! Nymphadora hasn't mastered the art of holding her tongue."

Nymphadora rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the boy. He looked so embarrassed that she actually felt a bit bad for teasing him. "Oh, come on. It was only a joke. I didn't mean anything by it!" The boy didn't reply.

"Don't worry about it." His older brother cut in and shook Nympadora's hand. "He always gets that way around girls. I'm Bill by the way."

She laughed and was about to reply but Madame Malkin interrupted her. She handed Nymphadora a robe and turned to Charlie to inspect the hemming. "All right, you're all finished. Go ahead and take that off. If you'll come back in an hour I'll have it all ready for you."

Bill waved at Nymphadora as his mother hustled the children out of the shop. "See you at Hogwarts!" She waved back and began pulling on the large robe Madame Malkin had given her.

Her mother was still glaring. "Nymphadora, you shouldn't have laughed at him! You embarrassed the poor boy!"

Nymphadora shrugged. "It was only a joke, Mum."

**Author's note: Thanks for reading chapter two guys I hope you liked it! Let me know what you liked/didn't like about it. The story is going to follow Tonks for the most part, at least in the beginning. Don't worry though, I haven't forgotten Remus. **


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